After the Rift
by mkhrisxamar
Summary: After travelling back from the Rift, Jack and his friends are back to their normal lives. The feelings for Aly that he slowly realized during their adventure has been developing into more than just a mere realization.
**Chapter 1: Waking up from the Dream**

 **This is my first story of fanfiction about a book. Usually, I wouldn't do a fanfiction for books that I read but this is the first exemption of that because Seven Wonders Series is really lacking something in romance department. Seriously! I demand more JACKxAly! But that demand would be fulfilled by me of course.**

 **Pardon any mishaps to the grammar as well as to any typos.**

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Dreaming about Atlantis or the doom of the world has been part of my life since I can remember. A few months back (Before the travel to the rift), I did not know the significance of those dreams or the fact that I have some odd marking behind my head but after my long adventure with Marco Ramsay, Cass Williams , Aly Black, the Massa, the Karai Institute (which both groups does not exist).

After waking up from a dream – only realizing that me, my dad and my mom (Yes, my mom is not dead, no longer part of massa or in hiding from KI) are in some kind of hotel, the first thing I checked is to ask if this is all true or if I'm dreaming into wonderland because there is no way that this could be true and yet, this is real.

We did it! We closed the rift, destroyed the Loculi through the help of the Royal Family of Anlantis. Now that I think about it, we are part of that Royal Family.

In any case, we did it. I saw Torquin which is not speaking like he does before. Bhegad is alive and my family is complete.

Next thing I did is checked my phone. In there, I saw names that became so familiar with me.

Aly, Cass and Marco.

My heart leaped and did somersaults upon seeing the names of these three. They became my best friends throughout those months of adventure. More so, my heart leaped in joy after I texted Aly and she replied back with: JAAAAAAACK

ME: Just woke up from a dream. Do you remember everything?

Aly: YES! I thought I am going crazy! Tell me this is true because I hate waking up next to vromaskis only to find out that we are still in Atlantis.

I chuckled after reading her message. I am truly happy that we are now back to reality, we can live after our 14th birthdays and we can have normal life! As normal as it could be considering we have knowledge about the Seven Wonders and the lost Kingdom of Atlantis and add the fact that we are part of the Royal Family of Atlantis carrying their _emosewa_ genes.

ME: I met Torquin. I am in this museum which happens to be where KI was. P. Beg is here too! So as my mom and dad! Everything is so real!

Aly: Torquin and Professor? You mean, you are in the KI itself?

ME: That's what I think. They discovered this through normal discovery – without the Loculi. We are going to celebrate our 14th birthdays!

ALY: I can't believe this! WE DID IT! Hold up, Cass is trying to call me.

I fought down the urge to frown or to feel that tinge of jealousy. Not fair, of course. I can't get jealous because I knew that if Cass is calling Aly, that means they too is now wide awake, probably asking questions if this is real or not. Marco would be just as confused, or maybe not judging from the text message I got from him.

MARCO: Tell me this is all true. Right now, I am going crazy like CRAZY and I need your holy Jackness to stitch up my messy brain.

I rolled my eyes at his message to me but still, I replied.

ME: No worries Marco the Magnificent, you don't need my Jackness to realize that this is ALL true! We are back to reality. Just checked with Aly, seems that she just woke up from a very long dream.

I waited for Marco to reply but it seems that he wanted someone to talk to since he called me straight away and I answered it.

"Holy Crown of Qalani! Everything is back to normal? No Loculi, or me being the Great Soldier of the Great King Jack the Destroyer?" I winced from the loud voice I heard from him but I am very happy to have him back. At least, I am not the only one who remembers.

"I guess, there is no more of those, Marco."

"Aww. But it's good that we're going to live. Have you checked with your girlfriend and Cass? I bet they would be freaked out right now." I thought for a moment about the girlfriend part and seeming that he is talking about Aly. Surely, my face turned red just thinking of her as my girlfriend. Part of my head is already thinking of such thing, but it is different to have it being spoken by others.

"SHE IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" I hissed with so much denial. My face is literally burning red and my heart has a loud thumping that I am afraid it might be heard by the people around me. Well, my heartbeats were not heard, my total denial that she is not my girlfriend was heard by so many people. I forgot we are in the former KI base with so many people around which heard my voice. Added to that is the fact that my parents are staring at me.

My face turned redder as I tried to glance away from their gaze. Their gaze holds some sort of concern but more than that is amusement. I never mentioned having a crush to a girl before, and now they are hearing me saying the word girlfriend. For sure, my parents would be asking me about it later.

"Ouch! You don't have to yell, dude! If the travel through the rift and back did not kill me, your loud voice would crack my skulls open."

"Sorry." I mumbled at him.

"Yeah, yeah. Gotta go. Talk to you later. Got something to take care of." Before I could say goodbye, he is gone. I shrugged. I put the phone back to my pocket and followed my parents. I am a step behind them. I don't even know where we're going.

"Who are you talking to earlier?" Dad asked me with curiosity.

"Marco – my friend." I answered. I assume they won't know about him. The time travel we did changed everything.

"Oh, and what about the Girlfriend part?" My mom asked with a teasing tone. _Mother knows best_.

"Nothing." I answered but I was looking away, trying to hide my face. My parents must have bought what I've said, or maybe they are not just showing otherwise, who cares, as long as they will me alone for it.

We continued the tour that we have on the island. The buildings that I remembered were replaced. There was no trace of the KI or Massa occupying the place. It's filled with scholars, archaeologist, historians and professors like Professor Bhegad who was now talking with my parents.

"Professor, this is our son, Jack. Jack, this is professor Bhegad." Dad was introducing us. Funny that he was so wary of Professor before – maybe because of the faked death of my mom – but that was all in the past right now.

"Hello Professor." We shook hands. I can't help but feel a little emotional upon seeing him now, all healthy and definitely not dying.

"Hello Jack. Your parents told me that you are quite knowledgeable of the numberings from the Ancient civilization." I missed how Professor's eyes would glint if there is something that interests him, how he looks at every thing like a jigsaw puzzle. I forced myself not to hum him because that would be too weird and crazy.

"Uhm – not really." I shrugged casually.

"Are you interested in the ancient wonders then?" he asked. By this time, Torquin appeared beside Bhegad. Seeing the tall guy next to professor is something that I've missed after the incident with Artemisia as well as that body possessing of Queen Qalani.

I was about to answer his question when my phone rung. Someone is calling. I muttered an 'excuse me' before getting my phone and checked who is calling. I am thinking that Cass would be calling or maybe Marco just to annoy me.

I did not expect Aly to be the one to appear on the screen. Well, I am kind of hoping that she will call. My heart is loud now, and I tensed up. I am excited in talking to her as we knew we had something we could talk about.

Before answering, I glanced up to the adults to ask permission if I could answer the call. I was met with the smiling faces of Mom and Dad. This made me more embarrassed than before. Even Professor Bhegad is smiling.

"I-I'll t-take this call." By Uhla'ar's spear, stammering is not an option but I am too excited to talk to Aly right now to even explain that she is my best friend, that we've been through so many deaths, that we went around the world searching for the Loculi. Okay, that's too much to explain.

I stepped out a few steps away from them to answer Aly's call. First there is only sound of breathing.

"Aly?"

"H-Hey Jack." Her voice shows that she has mixed emotions. Probably happy that they got their lives back, they can start being normal kids with an odd birthmarks behind their heads.

"Are you okay?" I started to worry. I have the sudden urge to fly to where she is and embrace her close to me. The idea weirded me out when she hugged me at the hospital with Cass but right now it does not.

"I don't know. I woke up from this neverending dream, my mother asking me to do errands like I 've never disappeared for months, and I remembered everything that happened – our adventure around the world – everything." Her voice is sounding like she was talking about a distant memory. Part of me does not like that, but part of me was relieved when she mentioned our adventure like she was talking about – us…

"I know. My parents are here, P. Beg is here, even Torquin is here and his language is **much** better than before." I said with so enthusiasm.

"Wow! Just wow! We really did it huh."

"Yup. I received a call from Marco. He's as energetic as usual, a little disappointed that he won't be Marco the Magnificent anymore." I dreaded to mention the girlfriend part. That would be awkward.

Aly chuckled and the sound is so much better than the Song of Heptakiklos.

"I bet he does. Cass is with Eloise right now, with their foster family. He is pretty freaked out about what he remembers and what Eloise remembers."

"Are they doing good?" I kind of want to have them live with me. Now that Mom is back, our family is complete and before that, during our adventure, Dad kind of adopted Cass, so having Eloise won't be that bad – well kind of annoying though.

"Doing as fine as they could be."

"Aly I - " here I go again.

"hmm?"

"Uhm – You know, when you were gone to the other side of the rift, I thought of something."

"You thought I would be dead?"

 _No. I thought that I lost part of myself._

"No. I thought that - "

"Jack! I hate to break your moment there, young man, but we gotta keep moving." My dad called out. I want to stay on the phone and talk to Aly, but I have to go. We still has time for that later.

"I gotta go. Dad's calling me. Talk to you later. I miss you." I muttered. I half wished that she did not hear it and half of my brain is praying that she does. Does that even make sense?

Judging from the silence, I bet she did not. I was about to end the call when she muttered: "I miss you too."

I stood frozen there, smiling at what she said or more like grinning.

She told me goodbye but I was not able to answer as I am busy grinning like an idiot.

Shoving my smart phone in my pocket, I jogged to where my parents are.


End file.
